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Maxwell Offers to Clear Trump's Name on Epstein if Given Clemency; Epstein Victims' Ad Demands More Transparency from Bondi; Savannah Guthrie Posts New Video About Search for Mom. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired February 09, 2026 - 15:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:30:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Today, the House Oversight Committee failed to get any answers from Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. She pleaded the fifth at her deposition, but her lawyer did make one major offer, saying Maxwell would be willing to testify and clear the name of President Trump and also former President Clinton if Trump gives her clemency -- if he commutes her sentence or pardons her. We should note, neither Trump nor Clinton have been accused of any wrongdoing related to Epstein.

With us now is Haley Robson, who says she was assaulted by Jeffrey Epstein when she was 16 years old. She is one of the sex abuse survivors who was seen in this just-released ad urging more transparency in the Epstein investigation. Haley, thank you so much for being with us.

And I'm really curious what you think about what Maxwell's lawyer said and to get your reaction to it. He said that she'll speak honestly, quote, if granted clemency by President Trump. And he said only she can provide the complete account.

Some may not like what they hear, but the truth matters. For example, both President Trump and President Clinton are innocent of any wrongdoing. What's your reaction to that?

HALEY ROBSON, EPSTEIN ACCUSER: I'm a little floored, but I'm not shocked. I mean, I always said he would pardon her on his way out. But for her to be so bold and to act for -- ask for clemency as if she has any skin in the game.

She has no skin in the game. I'm still kind of confused on why we're entertaining her at this point, because she is a known liar and she has been known to perjure herself. My question is, why isn't she in prison?

I have been very vocal on when I've met with Congress and other members from both parties. I have made it very clear on we should be focusing on putting her back where she belongs and not entertaining somebody who is just going to be further dishonest, especially to Congress.

KEILAR: You mean the prison she was originally in instead of this kind of more prison-lite camp that she's in in Texas, I think is what you're referring to there. And I did highlight that Super Bowl ad, really impactful. So many eyes on that.

And it urges the attorney general to release all files pertaining to various investigations into Epstein. Of course, there are millions of pages that were not released. The DOJ says they over collected, but I know there's a lot of criticism of how they determined that.

What kind of response have you gotten to the ad?

ROBSON: It's all been very positive. The ad has been very -- we've been just receiving so much outpour of love and support. And we're extremely grateful for as many people who have viewed it, who have shared it.

[15:35:00]

It's actually quite remarkable to see how many people are in support of this movement and what the survivors and our legal teams are trying to get done.

KEILAR: So Haley, as you're aware, there are members of Congress who can actually now go and look at the unredacted documents of the ones that DOJ released that have redactions, a lot of them. And Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Raskin did so. He said that he was able to look at 30 or 40 documents.

Obviously, that's just a drop in the bucket. But he says that he saw one e-mail from Epstein to Maxwell, which was actually forwarding an e-mail from Epstein's lawyers with an account of a conversation between his lawyers and Trump's lawyers and others during what Raskin called the 2009 investigation that we should note the plea deal out of Florida came in 2008. So trying to clear that up.

But just listen. That's just to give you context of what he is describing there. Let's listen to what he says.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): Epstein's lawyers synopsized and quoted Trump as saying that Jeffrey Epstein was not a member of his club at Mar-a-Lago, but he was a guest at Mar-a-Lago, and he had never been asked to leave. And that was redacted for some indeterminate, inscrutable reason. I know it seems to be at odds with some things that President Trump has been saying recently about how he had kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club or asked him to leave.

And this was at least one report that appears to contradict.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: What do you think about learning that?

ROBSON: I mean, it's unbelievable for me because I from my understanding, Trump has been very vocal on saying that he kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago and that he took a stance against him, you know, but I've always been skeptical because it shows complicity when Trump came out and said or made the comment about Jeffrey stole Virginia Giuffre from his Mar-a-Lago, which that's not true. She was recruited. And if you knew that, why didn't you step in and do or say anything?

Why did you continue a relationship? So I'm really not buying anything he says anymore. I think it's absolutely disgusting.

Everything that's just been said and then everything that's being disclosed in these files. It makes it so hard to trust the government, to trust the DOJ, to trust anybody when everything we've been gaslit to believe is actually quite opposite of what these files are disclosing to not just the public, but to the survivors and the survivors are learning all of this information on a public platform the same time the public is learning it. And so it's really becoming quite difficult for us to keep up with everything that's coming out and to not, you know, just have a complete meltdown.

I mean, it's horrific. It's horrifying.

KEILAR: Yes, it's unimaginable. But Haley, I'm always thankful that you'll speak with us. I think it's so important that we talk to you, that we talk to other survivors.

And obviously that's where the focus should be. And thank you so much for giving us your perspective on this today -- Haley Robson.

ROBSON: Thank you so much for having me.

KEILAR: We do have some breaking news into CNN. Savannah Guthrie has just posted a new video discussing the search for her missing mother. We are reviewing that. We're going to bring that to you after a quick break.

[15:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Breaking news into CNN. Just moments ago, Savannah Guthrie posted a new video on Instagram about her missing mother, Nancy. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, NBC TODAY SHOW ANCHOR: Hi there, everybody. I wanted to come on and just share a few thoughts as we enter into another week of this nightmare. I just want to say, first of all, thank you so much for all of the prayers and the love that we have felt, my sister and brother and I.

And that our mom has felt, because we believe that somehow, some way she is feeling these prayers and that God is lifting her even in this moment and in this darkest place. We believe our mom is still out there. We need your help.

Law enforcement is working tirelessly around the clock trying to bring her home, trying to find her. She was taken and we don't know where. And we need your help.

So I'm coming on just to ask you not just for your prayers, but no matter where you are, even if you're far from Tucson, if you see anything, you hear anything, if there's anything at all that seems strange to you, that you report to law enforcement.

[15:45:00]

We are at an hour of desperation, and we need your help.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Joining us now is CNN senior law enforcement analyst and former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe. Andrew, what do you make of the video just posted by Savannah Guthrie?

ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yes, very different video than the one that the family released on Friday -- or I'm sorry, maybe that was Saturday. You remember the last one in any case. You know, the first thing that strikes me, Boris, is this this message does not sound like a message that you would expect to hear from a family that is currently negotiating the return of their loved one.

The previous message really also marked a bit of a change in tone, and it seemed to be the family communicating very clearly to whoever's been sending these letters to the media that they are prepared to pay. But of course, they needed to open up some sort of two way communication to figure out how to do that and how to how to actually get their mother back after a payment was made. So my guess is that they have not had a response to that and they are not engaged in a productive exchange with them.

They also seem to be still very hopeful that their mother is alive and well. She talks about feeling very strongly that her mother is hearing these messages and it's having a positive effect on her. And finally, it's a very direct message to the public for help.

Really, once again, sending this message out that they need every lead, every piece of information, every citing, every suspicious kind of noting that the that the community has to offer to, you know, really kind of turbocharge, breathe some life, as it were, into this investigation and send them off in directions that will ultimately lead to bringing Nancy Guthrie home.

KEILAR: Andy, how does it have you thinking about these previous notes, the ransom layout? How does it have you thinking about whether those are legitimate?

MCCABE: Well, as you probably know, Brianna, I've had real questions about that from the very beginning. It's a unconventional way to go about this sort of negotiation for a kidnapper to communicate with the media rather than the people involved, the family members who would who would potentially pay a ransom to get their family member back. There's no real benefit to that for the kidnappers, which is why it's an odd choice, refusing to have any follow up communication. And then, of course, sending one more letter and not ever providing proof of life. For me, that's the one thing that has never made any sense in this. Every kidnapper knows you must provide proof of life if you expect to get paid.

And the only reason people do these kidnappings is to get paid. So that has never really run true with me. So if this whole this existing demand and the deadline at five o'clock today, this this message might be a sign to us that the investigative team and the family are essentially losing hope in that channel as a way of getting their mother back and are ready to just continue doing the hard work of really pushing this investigation forward.

SANCHEZ: CNN's John Miller is also with us. John, do you read it the same way that that Andy does? And specifically, I wanted to get your thoughts on something we heard from Savannah Guthrie asking for tips, even if someone is far away from the Tucson area, if they see something strange, she's asking them to call the number that's on the screen right now.

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Well, that's right, and that's a key point. But, you know, she starts off with, you know, this is not another message to the kidnappers. This is a message to the general public.

This is an appeal. And it starts, you know, politely with thanks for your prayers and your love, not just for our family, but we believe that our mother can feel them wherever she is and that they help to rise her up. But she also says, yes, law enforcement is working very hard around the clock.

But then she turns back to the main point of this message, which is she was taken and we don't know where she is and we need your help and not just prayers. We need your help, even if you're far from Tucson. And what that tells us is we know from other cases in this particular case, you know, there is reason to believe that she probably left that house with whoever abducted her after two o'clock in the morning.

It was discovered that she was gone after 11 in the morning. So there's multiple hours where they could have been on the road traveling and could have gotten far away.

[15:50:00]

So what she's saying to the public is, first of all, don't make any assumptions. Well, the deadline's coming. You know, she'll be killed and this will be over. Or the last message indicated that they had lost hope.

No, they want people focused on this and not just in Tucson, but in Las Vegas, in Oklahoma, in any place where they see something out of place, a woman who looks like her being taken out of a car or a minivan, a strange person that is, you know, with people being led into the basement of a house. The kind of things you would you might look at it and say, well, that looks odd, but, you know, we're not in Tucson. We're nowhere near there. They're saying, no, if you see something suspicious, somebody said something, you overheard something, please pass that on. And that is the main force of this message. She said, understanding that this deadline is approaching, whatever that deadline from the purported letter from the kidnappers might mean.

We are in a we are in a moment of desperation. It is truly an appeal.

KEILAR: Yes, it certainly is. And Jake Tapper is there in Pima County where it is getting desperate on day nine, no doubt. And you hear that in Savannah's voice, Jake, imploring people far away from Tucson to keep an eye out for anything unusual.

They're crowdsourcing this. They're looking for help far and wide from people who will pay attention to their surroundings and report whatever they can.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, Savannah specifically making two requests. One, again, a nod to her devout Christian faith that she feels the prayers. Her brother Cameron feels the prayers. Her sister Annie feels the prayers. And they believe that Nancy, even in this dark hour, in this dark place, she is feeling the prayers as well.

But beyond the prayers that she is so grateful for, she's asking for help, asking the public if you see anything. And as John noted, even if you're not near Tucson, if you see anything that even remotely seems strange, please report it to law enforcement. We should note, of course, that the FBI tip line is 1-800-CALL-FBI.

That's 1-800-CALL-FBI. And as has been noted, she said, we are in our hour, we're in an hour of desperation and we need your help. A nod to the fact that as of right now, they still have no idea where their beloved mother is, that she was taken Sunday morning, two Sundays ago, and they don't know how or where or by whom, but they believe she is still out there.

They believe that there is information that somebody has out there, other than the kidnappers, that could help them find her. So it is a real plea to the public by Savannah, who it's just remarkable how much composure she's able to have and using her communication skills to convey this incredibly urgent message to help save her mom, to help bring her mom home, even during this unfathomably difficult time for her and her family.

SANCHEZ: Yes, what they're enduring must be excruciating. Brian Stelter is with us. Brian, to Jake's point there, it's notable that there's another video now that Savannah Guthrie is getting another message out to the public in seeking assistance and seeking anyone that has information to bring it to law enforcement.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: The word I keep hearing from Savannah's colleagues at NBC, from her friends at NBC, is the word unbearable, that this is simply unbearable. It's been more than a week now. And you can get that sense from her voice, even though she is incredibly composed. She is speaking to the to the country in the world, trying to seek assistance. This has been an unbearable experience. And if you think about it, Savannah is talking the same way she did this time last week.

That's what I find heartbreaking about this latest video. This time last week, Monday, that's when she came out publicly for the first time, just one day after her mom's report of missing. And she asked the public for help, and she urged the public to call the local sheriff's department.

And here we are again, another Monday, and she is essentially doing the same thing, pleading for help from the public. You know, as some of her colleagues on "The Today Show" have said, somebody out there knows something. And yet there's this gap between maybe that knowledge and where the investigation stands.

And it is also notable that she's not relying entirely on this notion of a ransom note or this supposed deadline. We've seen a report from TMZ this afternoon saying that the amount in the publicly viewable Bitcoin account that was set up by the -- in this alleged ransom note -- that was referenced in this alleged ransom note, that the amount in that publicly available Bitcoin account still stands at zero dollars. Now, that does not necessarily mean that there has not been a payment.

[15:55:00]

It's worth keeping in mind that Bitcoin addresses can be changed between transactions. Transactions can be disguised with pseudonyms. Deposits could be withdrawn very quickly and thus no longer visible.

But TMZ is out there saying as of at the moment when they looked at the Bitcoin account, nothing was in there. And it seems to me from Savannah's message, she's not dependent on that one idea of that one ransom note of that one demand. She seems to believe she needs to cast a wider net and ask for more help from the public.

KEILAR: And Andy, we have about 30 seconds here. But I just want to say to you, ask you, what should people be on the lookout? What is the kind of thing if they see something they need to report it?

MCCABE: Yes, we've all seen these pictures many, many times. We know what Nancy Guthrie looks like. We know how old she is.

We know what kind of infirmities she has. I mean, she has mobility problems. That is what you're looking for.

A person or a group of people with somebody who fits her description, moving her in or out of a vehicle or in or out of a restaurant or in or out of an apartment or an Airbnb. That's the kind of lead that our investigators need.

SANCHEZ: And hopefully it comes in soon. Andrew McCabe, thank you so much for that analysis.

Stay with CNN, "THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt starts after a quick break. END